Urijah Faber's next move unclear, but former WEC champ says flyweight not an option

CALGARY – Winless in his past five championship fights, Urijah Faber’s next move is currently unclear.

However, the former WEC featherweight champion has immediately ruled out at least one possibility: He is absolutely not considering a drop to 125 pounds.

“No way,” Faber told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com). “I put on 18 pounds last night, and I would probably not be here if I was trying to get to 125. No, 135 is where I’ll be.”

Faber found himself in a similar position in 2010 after losing his 145-pound title to Mike Brown then losing a rematch with Brown and later a shot against current UFC champion Jose Aldo. With three-straight losses in 145-pound title fights, Faber dropped to 135 pounds and began his march to the bantamweight title. That run ended in a loss to champ Dominick Cruz at July 2011’s UFC 132 event.

Faber (26-6 MMA, 2-2 UFC) was originally scheduled to meet Cruz again, but an injury forced the champ out of the bout, and “The California Kid” instead faced Renan Barao (29-1 MMA, 4-0 UFC) in the main event of Saturday’s UFC 149 event in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The Brazilian was masterful in his handling of Faber and earned a clearcut unanimous-decision win and the interim bantamweight belt.

“Barao fought a smart fight,” Faber said. “He was really good with his length. He was able to keep me at bay and fight a smart fight.

“I would have liked to have gotten crazy in there a bit, but it probably wouldn’t have been the smartest thing. I was trying to punch him in the face, and I didn’t get it done.”

But the 5-foot-6 Californian said another reinvention simply isn’t in the cards. While the road to the bantamweight title may have just been lengthened, Faber said he’s committed to climbing the rankings yet again.

“It’s just a matter of healing up and then reassess how I want to approach this thing and what I need to do to make it where I win the belt or decide what I want to do from there,” Faber said. “I’m going to go home, relax, talk to these guys and see what the deal is.”

Cruz, who is currently recovering from a surgery to repair a torn knee ligament, isn’t likely to be Faber’s next opponent, despite the rivalry that exists between the two and the tension that was evident during the pair’s run on “The Ultimate Fighter: Live.” And Faber has already challenged and beaten many of the division’s best fighters, including Raphael Assuncao, Brian Bowles, Takeya Mizugako, Eddie Wineland and others.

For now, there simply doesn’t seem to be a clear next move for the 33-year-old, but UFC president Dana White said he remains a Faber fan and will work to find a proper opportunity.

“He’s going to hear about it from Cruz,” White said. “But I don’t know. It’s one of those things we’ve got to figure out.

“We love Urijah. He’s been a great fighter in the WEC and the UFC, so we’ll see what happens.”

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